Ex-JCD leader arrested in Magura murder, gold robbery cases

Police have arrested expelled Magura district Swechchhasebak Dal president Golam Zahid in connection with the murder of Jubo Dal leader Shaker Hossain and the robbery of 150 bhori of gold.

He was arrested from the airport area in Dhaka early Tuesday. A court later granted police a two-day remand for questioning.

Magura Superintendent of Police Molla Azad Hossain confirmed the arrest, saying Zahid was detained over allegations in the two cases. The investigation is underway, and further details will be disclosed later.

Earlier, expelled municipal Swechchhasebak Dal convener Md Maruf Hossain was arrested in the same cases last Thursday.

Police said five gold bars were recovered based on information provided by Maruf, who is currently on a five-day remand in the murder case.

The SP said investigators had so far recovered nearly six gold bars and a vehicle allegedly used in the robbery. Information gathered from arrested suspects suggested that the murder was linked to a dispute over the distribution of the looted gold, he added.

According to police, around 150 bhori of gold was looted from a Golden Line bus in Ramnagar area of Magura Sadar upazila on October 6. Zahid was arrested in Dhaka in connection with the robbery case following an investigation.

Eight people, including Maruf Hossain, who is also the general secretary of Magura Motor Workers’ Union, have been arrested in the gold robbery case. Several suspects reportedly admitted their involvement, along with that of Shaker Hossain, in the robbery during interrogation, the SP said.

Shaker Hossain, 39, was shot dead at the Royal Paribahan counter at Magura municipal central bus terminal early on October 21.

His wife filed a murder case and another case under the Arms Act. According to the investigation officer, six people had been arrested in the murder case as of Tuesday night. They include Roni Shikder, a member of the convening committee of Dhaka Metropolitan South Jubo Dal, Shamima Tabassum Lubna, Bashir and Animesh Majumder, a gold trader from Jhenaidah.

Meanwhile, Md Mujibur Rahman, a resident of Singair upazila in Manikganj, filed a case with Magura Sadar Police Station on October 28 over the alleged robbery of 150 bhori of gold.

In his complaint, Mujibur said he was travelling from Tantibazar in Dhaka to meet Jhenaidah-based trader Animesh Majumder with the gold when a group of 12 to 15 people, posing as police officers, stopped the bus in Ramnagar Bazar area on October 6.

The group allegedly forced him off the bus, beat him up and took away gold worth around Tk 2.9 crore and Tk 60,000 in cash, leaving him seriously injured.

Mujibur said he returned home after receiving treatment but delayed filing the case due to security concerns. He later submitted a written complaint to police on October 15.

Police said eight people had been arrested in the gold robbery case as of Tuesday night.